'And when this world runs out of lovers.....

...we'll still have eachother. Nuthin's gonna stop us nowwwwwww!'

Imagine me, belting out 80s style Jefferson Starship love ballads, with great, stuffy-headed passion and happiness, and you will get an idea of how thrilled I was to receive this:

dad-style care package!

This is a package from my most awesomest dad, via foodfight (which I love, and now my dad does too). Can you read the note? He asked them to write me a note and they actually did! It says 'Get well soon {heart} Dad'. (blogger won't let me put the actual heart in because of something having to do with html which is totally dumb.)

Next up is more stuff from Vcon. I think I've finally put my finger on what it is about this cookbook that makes me want to use it so much. It reminds me of my mom's cookbooks. The big, fat ones with loads and loads of recipes. It's hardcover. It has some weight to it. The recipes are hearty. And now that it's cold as hell here (I've decided that if hell exists, it wouldn't be hot, it would be cold, because being cold sucks so much worse than being hot), hearty recipes are what my belly craves. ('electrolytes - it's what plants crave!' ohhhh...idiocracy)

I had some leeks in the fridge that I bought before I got sick and refused to use until my tastebuds were working again. I got my buds back sometime on Friday, so Saturday I used up those leeks with lots of love in the Leek and Bean Cassoulet w/Biscuits.

biscuit cloud heaven

It was good. It was not as good as the first time I made it though! I don't know what happened. I somehow royally screwed up the biscuits... They were a tad gummy (and you know I hate stuff that sticks to my teeth)... I kept having to add more and more and more flour to the batter, which is weird because last time I made them, I did not have to do that. Hm. Oh well, they still tasted good.

bowl of biscuity beany leeky goodness

There's just something about biscuits, isn't there? I'm not talking about cookies, either, Brits! Although, cookies are good too. But...maybe not in a way that biscuits are?

Ode to biscuits: biscuits are wonderful. biscuits can be sweet. biscuits can be savory. biscuits are a fluffy favorite of mine. biscuits are best served warm, straight out of the oven. with jam. or stew. i do not like 'butter' on my biscuits! biscuits are good plain. biscuits are easy to make. biscuits are the best personal bread item ever invented. my mom makes good biscuits. my grandma made good biscuits. michael makes good biscuits. i make good biscuits. the end.

On to the Seitan Picatta. I have been putting off making this recipe. I wish I hadn't. Although, after reading LindyLoo's post about it, I believe I have a greater appreciation for this dish.

picatta rules.

I first had seitan picatta* at Blossom in NYC (which by the way makes the best food on the planet, and if you are ever around Chelsea, please go there). It was creamy, lemony, capery, wonderful. This was a tad different, in that it was less creamy and lemony. But it was really good in it's own right. Michael seriously disliked it, by the way. But Michael hates capers. *sigh* I suppose if he can put up with me hating vinegar and mushrooms, I can accept this. Even if it means that I don't get to eat this dish often.

I did not fry my portion of the seitan. I started frying some, but it started freaking me out with it's oiliness, so Michael ate those and I ate my slices that were just from the steamed loaf. But yeah... I can't really say much else, besides that it is salty. In a really, really good way. Yeah. Go read LindyLoo's post. It's a tad graphic (not that I'm complaining), but...well, this dish calls for it, methinks.

Finally, I made something a bit out of my comfort zone. And it made me a little sad, because I did something I shouldn't have, thinking that it would be ok. Listen people: apparently I am developing a hatred for cloves now, too. Great. You know, I didn't used to be this picky. I don't know what the hell happened to me. Well...I do know why I don't like cloves anymore. It might have something to do with the accidental clove overdose that occurred back in September (scroll down, you'll find it).

This would explain why I felt a little apprehensive about the cloves added to Hannah's Cranberry Pudding. I felt especially sad because this is the first recipe I've tried from her wonderful wonderful blog and I SO wanted to like it. It was awesome before I added the cloves. Why oh why did I think I would be ok with this? The clove taste (only 1/2 tsp!) is very pervasive for me. And Michael. This is a huge disappointment (but not Hannah's fault... our tastebuds are just stupid). I'm trying to find someone who really loves cloves, cranberries, and oranges that I can give it to, because it really is too lovely to waste. Just look!

beautiful red pudding of love

I will make this again. I will not add cloves. Because the tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the orange add plenty of flavor for me. The texture of this pudding is perfect, as well. Creamy with nice little cranberry chunkies. So... go make this. Add cloves if you're not like me and apparently don't like them. And if you wanna come to my house with a cooler and take this nice little pudding away for your very own within the next couple days...haha... feel free! I used a bag of cranberries, 2 whole oranges, and 2 cups of sort of expensive sugar in this, so I'm loathe to waste that. I'm sorry, Hannah! I feel terrible. Again, this is my fault. Not the recipe!

Man. I am verbose today, yes? Time to go wash some dishes and make some din. I am under orders to make something that Michael will like, and was then asked if I was aware of what he did and did not like, in case he needed to clarify. hahaha... This is how sadfaced he was about that piccata and the pudding. Dinner tonight will be good, I promise!

*I just went to their website and realized what I had was seitan scallopini, not picatta, but the flavors are really, really close, but also that maybe my preconceptions about the Vcon recipe were a bit off. Oops!